Onyinyechi Chima — On Being Missed Diagnosed
Interviewed by Munirah Yaquob
Missed Diagnosis and Misdiagnosis are two similar but quite different occasions. The latter occurs when a doctor wrongly diagnoses a patient with a medical condition that they do not have. It is complaining of lower abdomen pain, and it is dismissed as “just cramps” only to find out that you had PCOS all along. Misdiagnosis is quite common and severely underreported. Based on a report by Docpanel, 12 million adults are misdiagnosed yearly, with 28% of them being life-threatening or life-changing. Healthline reports that an estimated 40,000 to 80,000 people die annually from complications from these misdiagnoses, with women and minorities being 20% to 30% more likely to be misdiagnosed.
A missed diagnosis — on the other hand, also called delayed diagnosis or failure to diagnose, is when a doctor fails to recognize a medical condition from a patient’s presented signs and symptoms. It is coming in clearly with all the symptoms of malaria, and the doctor is telling you there’s nothing, and you should sleep it off. They tell the patients that the problem is “all in their head.” After being told this by multiple doctors, they may start doubting their experience of pain or other symptoms. They may give up on the medical system even as their conditions worsen.
One definite thing about a misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis is that it will almost always cost the victim something that could range from prolonged pain and discomfort to complications from the development of the original diagnosis. In this interview, I spoke to Onyinyechi, a Solutions Consultant, on being missed diagnosed and how getting a second opinion saved her life.
M: Hello. Thank you for agreeing to be a part of this. Please, tell us about yourself.
Onyinyechi: My name is Onyinyechi Chima-Nwogwugwu. I am a Solutions Consultant and an artist. Also, I am not a man.
M: Okayyy, thank you for that. Could you explain a bit more about who a solutions consultant is?
Onyinyechi: I implement and provide support for a human resources software called Success Factors. I implement the software and provide support for customers who use the software.
M: Before this incident, how would you describe your previous hospital experiences?
Onyinyechi: Before that incident, it’s been probably at least a decade since I have been to the hospital. I don’t fall sick, and the reason I even went to the hospital wasn’t because of what I was eventually diagnosed with in the first place. Though, I would say from my almost non-existent memories that doctors had been pretty good to me.
M: Alrighty then. Please, tell us about the time doctors have misdiagnosed you.
Onyinyechi: I had fallen sick with what turned out to be a combination of malaria and pneumonia. So, that was why I initially went to the hospital but, I mentioned to the doctor about the pain I used to have in my chest. I used to have these random, sharp pains in my chest, close to where my heart is. They could come up like once every other three months. The breaks in between the pain were long enough to make me forget that that pain even existed. I mentioned it to the doctor because I felt the pain when I fell sick, and he referred me to another doctor for some tests. So, to cross all t’s and dot all I’s, I went for the tests. While in the university, I had spoken to a doctor about the same chest pains, and he told me to go for some tests. I took the referral letter to my school’s clinic to conduct the test, and the doctor brushed it off and said to return should the pains persist.
M: Wait, you had previously complained to a doctor before this incident, and he brushed it off?
Onyinyechi: Yeah, he honestly sounded so uninterested. He said it wasn’t a problem. I brought the referral letter for him to approve to allow me to meet the general cardiologist for the tests. However, he said there was no problem, and I was alright and should only come back only if the pains returned. The way he even said it was very “you no get the problem”, so I left.
M: I’m so sorry about that.
Onyinyechi: So, fast forward to the first tests I did — the doctor said there was nothing wrong with me. But then, there was another doctor who came to see me at the hospital. When I also told him about the pain, he figured that there was probably something more to it, and maybe the tests initially conducted on me didn’t reveal the problem correctly. So, he referred me to another doctor who did a proper scan (I say “proper scan” because this was the scan that revealed what was going on in my heart). After the test, we realized that my mitral valve was leaking. As it stands, they don’t know what could have caused it. It is a minor leak. It was the cause of those random pains in my chest. The blood that was supposed to flow out was flowing back in again, and it shouldn’t be happening.
That was the problem that the first doctors didn’t find for some reason. I think maybe, they didn’t look close enough or didn’t think it was that big an issue because I looked fine. But, if I had just gone with that first test, I wouldn’t have known that my mitral valve was leaking or that anything was going on in my heart at all.
M: Thank you so much. I am so sorry you went through that. At this point, you had seen three doctors. The first doctor ignored your complaints and sent you off, and the second one didn’t notice anything off with your scan.
Did you feel something was off with the second doctor at any point? Can you describe your experience with them?
Onyinyechi: With the second doctor, she didn’t ask me any questions as a doctor would before conducting any test. I just came in, greeted her, did the scan, and left. She didn’t look at me or say anything to me. I’m guessing that the reason was that she didn’t find anything wrong, so she didn’t feel any need to talk to me. I took the test because the pain was so prominent the last time, I had doubled over as the pain spread from my chest to my back so, I was bent over for a few seconds. My parents said to do the test to know whether there was a problem and the way forward.
M: So, what eventually happened after your correct diagnosis?
Onyinyechi: I took the results back to the doctor, and he said that the results would have to be seen by a surgeon to determine if it was worth operating on or it was something with which I could live. I was given drugs for the pain, and he sent the results to a surgeon, who said that it was a minor leak (that was how we even knew that the leak was a minor one) and did not require surgery as it was something with which I could live. Since I started taking the drugs for the pain, I’ve been fine. I also have a fast heart rate related to the leak, but they are both non-life-threatening. It just feels good to know the actual problem and not think that it’s just in my head and not originating from anywhere.
M: Do you think there would have been a difference if the doctors diagnosed you correctly earlier?
Onyinyechi: If the first doctor had taken my complaints seriously and had done those tests in the university, I might have gotten that pain treated earlier. That last pain I had where I doubled over might never have happened. At least a year passed when I saw the first doctor and the other two sets of doctors.
M: I’m so sorry you went through that. How do you feel now?
Onyinyechi: I am fine now. My heart rate is pretty good these days. My pulse is good, and I don’t feel pain in my chest. I can jog without feeling pain in my chest. So pretty good.
M: So happy to hear that. Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
Onyinyechi: I mentioned earlier that I am an artist so, I’m currently taking commissions. I would also like people to check out my Instagram and look at my art. My Instagram handle is @og.chima. That’s where most of my art is.
M: Alright. Thank you so so much!
Munirah Yaqoub is a Law graduate who loves women, chicken, ice cream, and Enrique Iglesias. When she’s not doing legal work, you can find her daydreaming and laughing about it. You can connect with her on Instagram.
Edited by Adetutu A
Adetutu is a Creative writer and editor. Well, sometimes. Other times, she’s either binge-watching comedy series or reading books. You can connect with her on Instagram.
Published by Titilope Adedokun
Titilope is on a mission to tell authentic stories of women and connect them with much-needed resources and opportunities. Connect with Titilope on LinkedIn and her personal website.
